Free Poker Online Guide to Working Out What Your Opposition is Holding

Whether you're playing free poker online or at the money tables, the achievements you have will be linked to how well you can use psychological tactics to your advantage. The free online poker games can turn out to be decent money making buy in games and competitions further on.

Using psychology in poker gives you an edge that can make the difference between winning and losing. In fact, I play the players more than I play the cards.

There are loads of psychological scenarios to consider which is as significant as knowing your place at the table: the chances and numbers involved in making a hand, pricing the pot and running a trap.

There are 2 main points to consider when using psychological tactics; clever surveillance and general intellect. Psychological tactics also form the basis of bluffing and also the platform for playing the salesman. These same essential tactics work at either end of the spectrum- whether it's a friendly game with some friends at the weekend or at a large stake table gambling for thousands.

However, it goes almost without saying that you must know the people you are playing poker with; if you don't know them, you'd better start studying them, because if you really know and understand your fellow card players, you can decide how to play your hand even before the second turn of the cards. Knowing how the other players play is a fundamental sharp poker strategy.

Here appearances count for everything, neighbour, what they say is true: a man's eyes mirror his soul.

There are many signs and bodily giveaways or as the pros call it- tells. An opponent could start becoming a 'chatter box' if they hold good cards. Another example could be if a player seems restless to get into the action or a different opponent could become silent if they're holding decent cards.

If you were playing against me however you wouldn't know the cards I was holding as I maintain a consistent level of conversation. I also enjoy playing the fool- as the tells of most novice or standard players have is remarkable. For instance I wouldn't give you a dime to look at these players cards and call them out. As they would have inevitably by now told me by their body language what they're holding.

Some of these psychology pointers you will have realised only apply in real world games where you can see eye to eye but others, such as the chat (or lack of chat from a normally chatty player) speed of action and so on are very applicable to paid and free online poker games. So if you don't already do it start to observe, think and observe more and think you way to more winnings.